Derby Preview
Liverpool take on Everton at Anfield tomorrow for the 214th Merseyside Derby, or as we say round here, The Derby.
Taking on a massive significance as Kenny Dalglish makes his emotional and romantic return to Anfield, this derby is destined to be high profile. Everton are in better form than Liverpool, holding possession better but facing a striker crisis. However, is this the moment Liverpool finally bounce back? Dalglish has a terrific record against Everton, losing only 3 of 20 meetings.
I feel if Dalglish keeps the team that he has been playing then we should be able to see a few goals. The midfield is the key as Everton should be missing Pienaar through a transfer pending and Cahill is away at the Asian Cup, Liverpool will miss Joe Cole through injury and Gerrard through suspension.
Whoever wins this will go above the other, the bragging rights are up for grabs and the inevitable pressure on the manager will increase with Moyes starting to lose face with the fans.
Crucial battles will be Skrtel/Beckford. Since moving to the Premier League, Beckford has failed to sparkle and Everton fans are often left exasperated, he does find himself in decent spaces and this will push Skrtel who isn't having the best season. I see Beckford pulling Skrtel all over the pitch.
Agger/Saha. I don't see any problem here unless Agger has to cover for Skrtel and this let's Saha link up with Beckford. However, Agger can handle the off pace Saha.
Torres/Distin. This is very interesting, I can see Torres getting crushed by Distin but I also believe in Torres' ability to recognise who the weaker centre back is and go for Jagielka instead.
Johnson/Kelly/Bilyaletdinov. If Johnson plays right back I can only see trouble as Bilyaletdinov will tie him in knots. However, if Dalglish settles with the team of the past two games then I have every confidence that Kelly will easily contain the quite straight runs of Bilyaletdinov.
Arteta/Lucas/Meireles. This is where most of the battling will be. In a stilted midfield lacking in creativity, you will be able to see the absence of Gerrard and Pienaar. Both Lucas and Meireles need to stifle Arteta as he will look to be the creative mind for Everton.
My prediction, 1-0. Liverpool, I see a stronger midfield with Jovanovic on the left and Maxi on the right Meireles pushing forward supporting Ngog and Torres. This 4-1-4-1 formation of Liverpool's will stretch Moyes' 4-4-2 as wide men pushing inwards will force the Everton wide midfielders to track back and help out the defence.
However, you can never truly call a derby as they always throw up surprises. Red and yellow cards are inevitable, goals are not.
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